Killjoys cancelling Halloween--is this the new normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. Is the issue that ghosts and dementors get preferential treatment over superheros? How is this an equity issue?

Yes, that's exactly the issue that dementors are higher up the food chain than superheros. :

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just heard that my kids elementary school is not doing Halloween in the name of equity. Some families don't celebrate and they wanted to be inclusive. Instead it will be "dress like your favorite book character day" but no ghosts, ghouls, vampires, or dementors allowed. No parade or Halloween-themes crafts. I'm wondering if this is widespread throughout the county or if our school principal is uniquely anti-fun.

It IS widespread and it's no big deal. If you want to Halloween go ahead and do it. It doesn't have to be a part of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Equity.. nope. We are not doing Halloween because of covid. I don't need your kid bringing covid to me when I'm not sending my kids to in person school. Some families don't celebrate halloween and our ES would have a separate room for them to read in and it was pretty unfair vs. doing a general fall party. You don't need to dress up in school. Its kida silly.

I found the killjoy OP was talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids school is doing an outdoor costume parade (weather permitting.) Parents and family are invited! Afterwards they’re having crafts and a PTA provided snack in the classroom—no parents allowed.

It sounds good to me!

Are you in MCPS? If so, you are fortunate.

Many MCPS schools have eliminated Halloween. Some are just using Covid as an excuse this year, while others have banned Halloween for years.

I am in MCPS and this is what our school is doing as well. I would normally say the school but I don't want it to get cancelled. I think so much of this is principal dependent. Much like the quarantining of kids. Principals that are up for the challenge will figure out how to make it happen! Thankful for our principal.

[Anonymous]

Throw a Halloween party and have your kid invite the friends in his/her class/grade that want to come. Simple. That’s what we are doing - outdoors.

[Anonymous]

POC here who does celebrate Halloween. Kids go to a very diverse school that is having a Halloween Party and Parade.

[Anonymous]

Enrich your kid's lives outside of school-that is your job after all. My family is having a Halloween party for people who choose to celebrate it, we don't rely on the schools for anything other than educating our children. You know, the entire purpose of public school...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

This is why private schools will become more and more popular. We love celebrating Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other dominant culture holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Dressing up can be as simple as you make it. Pin on a piece of red paper cut into a lightening bolt on a red t-shirt, get a tube of red face paint at the dollar store and paint a “mask” on. The kid is “Flash”. Get a white sheet at goodwill, cut some holes for eyes, you gave a ghost.
It takes creativity but not lots of money.
I think it is absolutely awful to cancel Halloween.

We all realize that low SES families have a hard time finding the time.to be involved in school-type activities due to bigger priorities. So how is a parent who cant make it to back to school night or help with homework find the time to help make a costume?
And what child wants to go to school wearing a thrown together, bare budget costume when their classmates have nice store bought costumes? I have volunteered for many Halloween elem school events. They are a huge hassle for the school staff but the bigger issue is the kids who are embarrassed of their costume. Fall festival is the way to go.

Grew up low SES and went to a high FARMS school. We celebrated Halloween at school and had a costume parade. For arts and crafts that morning we made masks and kids who did not have a costume walked in the parade with the mask they made in class. It was a lot of fun and it is sad that it’s now being canceled at schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Equity.. nope. We are not doing Halloween because of covid. I don't need your kid bringing covid to me when I'm not sending my kids to in person school. Some families don't celebrate halloween and our ES would have a separate room for them to read in and it was pretty unfair vs. doing a general fall party. You don't need to dress up in school. Its kida silly.

I found the killjoy OP was talking about.

+1. I feel so, so sorry for this poster's kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

That's kind of the point for those that are trying to reshape society. You first must break it completely and remove traditions and relationships to build a society that will somehow encapsulate your particular utopia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

That's kind of the point for those that are trying to reshape society. You first must break it completely and remove traditions and relationships to build a society that will somehow encapsulate your particular utopia.

Look, people have posted time and again on this thread, with quotes and links, demonstrating that the movement to remove Halloween from schools came from the "dominant culture" of Xianity.

Why on earth are we discussing this as some left-wing plot?

[Anonymous]

This has been the "new normal" in school since the 1980s and Jerry Falwell, at least where I lived. White evangelicals started it.

But "Halloween" is not cancelled, just whatever school activities that weren't really "Halloween" in the first place. The evangelicals will go to "truck or treat" or fall festival parties, so the devil won't get them going out at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Is not a question of budget. It is because of cultural and religious beliefs.

[Anonymous]

The school no longer does Halloween because some families wouldn't allow their kids to come to school. So now there's nothing Halloween related at all but the families still won't send their kids to school. It seems kind of sad for everyone.